Sneakers
by AniPendragon
Summary: Wally and Dick aren't dating, so they don't understand why everyone thinks they are. Then again, stranger things have happened. Or, five times people assumed Wally and Dick were dating, and the one time they realized it themselves. Birdflash.
1. One: Aunt Iris

**Author's Note:** What's that? I ship BirdFlash? Why yes, yes I do. I have since season one was airing, actually. Anyway, this is another five times plus one fic with six chapters - each one posted weekly on Mondays. It's a cute little story about Wally and Dick being the only ones that don't know they're dating. I hope you all enjoy it. And remember, brush your teeth after each chapter.

Next update is on **January 4th.** If you like this chapter, please leave a review!

* * *

 **One: Iris West**

The wait at the end of the school day on Friday nearly killed Wally. He was so used to speeding home, tossing his stuff, and heading to Gotham or the Cave for a weekend with Dick. But this Friday was different. He was spending the weekend at Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry's. The two of them wanted to do something nice for him – though he didn't know why – and Aunt Iris wanted to pick him up from school.

And she was late. Only by two minutes and thirteen seconds. But _still_.

Finally, after almost four minutes and fifteen seconds, the car pulled up. Wally leaped into the passenger's seat and tossed his bag in the back. Aunt Iris sat in the driver's seat, still dressed for work.

"Hey, Aunt Iris," said Wally, cheerfully. She threw him a bag of McDonalds and he grinned. Chicken McNuggets were his weakness.

"Hello, Wally," she said. She put the car in gear and drove off, heading back toward her and Uncle Barry's house at the edge of the main city area.

Wally said, "You know, this is the first weekend in like, forever, that I haven't spent with Dick." He leaned back in his seat and tossed a few French fries into his mouth. "It's weird."

Aunt Iris chuckled fondly. "Yeah, Barry and I were like that when we first started dating, but you can't spend every waking moment together – you'll drive each other crazy."

Wally frowned. Dating? He and Dick weren't…

"We're not dating," said Wally, quickly. He shook his head and waved his hands in front of him. A few French fries went flying off into the shadows beneath the seat. Aunt Iris raised an eyebrow at him and gave a pointed look at the French fries in his lap.

"Really?" asked Aunt Iris.

Wally grimaced, "Sorry, I'll pick it up when we're done."

"Not that," said Aunt Iris, rolling her eyes. She braked for a stoplight and fixed her patented 'I know you're hiding something' look at Wally. "You and Dick. Your uncle said…"

"He's wrong," said Wally, a bit too fast, even for him. He couldn't quite place why he was so defensive about this. Surely it was all in jest. He and Dick were friends, nothing more. Sure they were pretty affectionate with one another and all, but that didn't mean there was anything between them. Obviously it was all in Uncle Barry's and Aunt Iris' head. Yup, there was nothing more to it.

Still, he had to wonder what had made her bring it up. And what had made her and Uncle Barry see such things between the two of them. Surely they weren't that close to each other.

"You know, it's okay," said Aunt Iris. She took her hand off the gear shift and rested it on Wally's knee. She gave him one of her soft smiles – the kind that made Wally think she'd be a great mom someday.

"That's not…" He frowned, trailing off. He'd spoken too quickly. Now she thought she was closeted. Which he wasn't. And didn't have to be. Because he was straight.

…Yeah, because that would sound convincing when she was so convinced already.

"Aunt Iris, if Dick and I were dating, believe me when I say you'd be the first person I'd tell," said Wally, slowly. He knew they _wouldn't,_ but at least this would get her off his back.

Aunt Iris sighed. "Wally, it's perfectly all right to be confused about your feelings right now. I was too, at your age. And I understand that being gay-"

"I'm not gay!" protested Wally.

"Sorry, bisexual," said Aunt Iris, smiling kindly. And he wasn't that either. "Is difficult at your age, but I'm here for you."

It was a losing battle and he knew it. He slumped against the window and stared out at the passing city. A soft sigh passed his lips. Why wouldn't she believe him? He and Dick were just friends. That's all they wanted to be. That's all they were.

That's all they would ever be.

And yet, that statement didn't make him feel any better. If anything, it lodged a pit in his stomach that made him grimace and rub at his belly.

"You okay?" asked Aunt Iris.

"Fine," said Wally, trying to shake off the feeling. "I think I ate too fast." That had to be it. That, or the idea that Aunt Iris assumed he and Dick were dating really was frustrating him. There was nothing else to it, really.

He and Dick were friends. He'd convince Aunt Iris of that this weekend – and set Uncle Barry straight too, pun intended. That way there wouldn't be any uncomfortable discussion with or about Dick. That way Dick wouldn't get upset. He was already sensitive about how affectionate he was, and Wally didn't want to lose their hugs.

He resolved to set everything straight before Monday, and to visit Dick after school just to be sure it was all okay.

And to eat something other than fast food. Man, those Chicken McNuggets had done _something_ to his gut.


	2. Two: M'gann

**Author's Note:** Ta-da. Have some Wally. And some M'gann. And some denial.

Thanks for the feedback! If you like the chapter, please leave a review.

* * *

 **Two: M'gann M'orzz**

The holiday season was one of Wally's favourite parts of the year. Especially because M'gann was always baking and cooking once the holidays hit. Christmas, especially, was a favourite of his. And he was deeply looking forward to enjoying her cookies when school was finally out for the holidays.

Until then, however, he'd have to live on her weekend cookies. And cupcakes. And cakes. And strudels. And… well, M'gann had been baking a _lot_ this year. He thought it might be because Roy was coming over. But he wasn't sure.

"Hey, sweetcakes," said Wally, strolling up to the kitchen island. He leaned backward against the edge of the counter on his elbows and grinned at M'gann. M'gann looked back at him, her gaze momentarily leaving the tray of freshly baked snickerdoodles on the oven. She gave him a little smile.

"Hi, Wally," she said.

Wally eyed the snickerdoodles. There were three or four other bowls around Wally and M'gann, all full of things he couldn't quite place. Batter, obviously. But for what?

"What'cha baking?" he asked.

M'gann gestured to the bowls in quick succession. "Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, ginger, and shortbread," she said.

Wally grinned. "Babe, you rock my world."

M'gann gave him a measured look as she floated another tray of cookies into the oven. Wally figured she was just checking him out. He preened a bit. Yeah, M'gann and Conner were dating, but neither of them ever said anything about him and this. So he kept going. No harm, no foul, right?

"Are you sure you should be flirting with me?" asked M'gann.

Wally blinked. "Why, Conner got a problem with it?" he asked.

M'gann's eyes narrowed. " _No_. But you _should_ be asking if I do." Wally blinked again at the sharpness in M'gann's tone. Oops.

She continued, "And no, I was going to say that because you're not single anymore, you shouldn't be flirting with me."

"What?" asked Wally. He blinked, again. It was starting to become an odd habit. He wasn't dating anyone. Artemis was… Artemis. And Zatanna and Raquel seemed to be eying each other. Which, hey, he was _totally_ fine with. Thank you very much.

"You and Robin," said M'gann, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it wasn't. And shouldn't have been. Because they weren't dating. At _all_.

Wally groaned. "Seriously? You too?" He threw his arms into the air. "First my aunt, now you. Why does everyone think Robin and I are dating! I don't like guys!"

M'gann raised an eyebrow at him. Wally refused to acknowledge her silent question. Black Canary would have said he was in denial about _something_. He would have said he was perfectly okay with that. Which he _was._ Because he wasn't in denial. About _anything_.

"Wally," said M'gann.

"No," said Wally, snatching a still-slightly-too-hot snickerdoodle from the cooling tray. He jabbed it at her accusatorily. "I'm done with this conversation. You may be a psychic, M'gann, but that doesn't mean you know everything about people." He turned and stalked for the hallway back to his room.

"Wally, come on, it's not a big deal," said M'gann. "I'm sorry! Do you want to lick the spoon?"

He did. But he wasn't about to let her use that against him. He wasn't going to let her look at him like she knew everything. The way she always did.

And why was he so mad about all this? Robin was his friend. People made this mistakes all the time. This made no sense…

Unless it did. But he wasn't going there. Nope.


	3. Three: Bruce

**Author's Note:** So this chapter is a little more serious than the other two. Largely because it's from Dick's point of view. Oops.

Reviews and constructive criticism welcome!

* * *

 **Three: Bruce Wayne**

Dick rolled his shoulders as he walked across the balance beam. It was perched six feet up – child's play, really – and above the uniform blue mats that lined the entirety of the manor's gymnasium floor. This was part of his warm up, the simple, pointed-toe walk across the beam. He kept his body loose, shaking out various parts of his body as he went.

Rolling his neck, Dick lifted himself up onto his toes and started bending at the knees. Up and down, up and down. When that was done, he took a few running steps across the beam, flipped forwards onto his hands, and sprung from the beam into the air, where he grabbed the uneven bars and swung himself on top of the higher of the two bars.

He spun around and around, then held himself perfectly upright on the bars. He loosened his grip and let himself fall back, released the bar, somersaulted in midair and grabbed the lower bar. Two more spins around, a triple somersault through the air, and then he was landing on the mats. Toes pointed, arms out, then up.

He grinned.

Clapping sounded behind him and he turned. Bruce stood, half leaning against the door, clapping for Dick's little warm up.

"Thanks," said Dick, rolling his shoulders again. There was a twinge in the left one he couldn't quite shake. Must have been a bad fall on a previous mission. There was no bruising though.

"Your form is holding up well," said Bruce, stepping into the room. He was barefoot and in sweats, just like Dick. Dick wondered if Bruce was going to run the floor. Somehow, it didn't strike him as something Bruce would do. Backflips and somersaults weren't really his thing.

"Yeah, well, I get lots of practice," said Dick. He fidgeted a bit under Bruce's gaze. Why was he here? Bruce was usually working on his schmoozing this time of day. Or hunting down baddies on the Batcomputer. The two of them usually hung out before dinner, or just before patrol.

"Um, is everything okay?" asked Dick.

Bruce nodded and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. "Yes, everything's perfectly fine. How's the Team?" asked Bruce.

Dick blinked. "Uh, fine. Yeah, we're all great." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"And Wally?" asked Bruce, wandering past the balance beam. "How is he doing? You two have been spending a lot of time together lately."

"He's great," said Dick, grinning. Then, realizing what Bruce had said, his smile vanished. "Um, is that a bad thing? I've been keeping up with school work and patrol. I know we haven't hung out much lately. And I want to, but, you know…" Dick trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck and looking just over Bruce's shoulder.

"It's fine," said Bruce, waving off the concern. "You're free to spend your free time how you want." He seemed bothered by something, Dick noticed, which was probably why he seemed more awkward than usual. Really, Bruce was always a bit awkward. But he tried hard, and it largely worked. They talked more about emotions than they used to, they spent lots of no-pressure time together, heck, Dick even had Bruce watching bad 80s movies with him some nights.

So what was with the sudden switch?

"Are you sure everything is okay?" asked Dick, walking toward Bruce. He ducked under the balance beam – though, really, he didn't have to duck – and stopped a couple feet back from Bruce.

Bruce was silent for a moment. "Are you and Wally dating?" he asked.

Dick started. "What?"

"I don't want to put you on the spot," said Bruce. "And I understand that sexuality is a bit of a sensitive topic…"

"Bruce," said Dick. He swallowed hard. "Yeah, I'm… I'm gay." That might have been the first time he said it out loud. "But I'm not dating Wally."

Bruce nodded. "Okay," he said. A long, awkward pause. "Do you… _want_ to date him?"

Dick flushed. Ducked his head. Bit his lip. Oh, that was… awkward.

"You don't have to answer that," said Bruce, his voice tight.

"No," said Dick, shaking his head. "No, it's um. It's a valid question." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Why?" he asked, finally looking back up at Bruce.

"Pardon?" asked Bruce.

"Why did you think we were dating?" asked Dick.

Bruce was silent for a minute. Then, "The way you look at each other." He shook his head. "It reminds me of Oliver and Dinah, often."

Dick felt his face flush, knew the heat was horribly visible on his face. "Oh." He didn't really have any other response to that.

"I'm sorry," said Bruce. "I overstepped."

"Would it matter?" asked Dick in a little voice. "If we were?"

Bruce took a few steps forward and placed his hands on Dick's shoulders. Dick looked up at him. Bruce was blurry. It occurred to Dick that he had tears in his eyes when Bruce brushed them away.

"No," said Bruce, softly. "Not in the least. I just want you to be happy." Dick stumbled forward the last half step and threw his arms around Bruce. The two hugged each other tightly. Dick tried to block out his own fears as he clung to Bruce. If Bruce had noticed how he felt, then who else had?

And what if it got back to Wally?


	4. Four: Dinah

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay! This chapter was giving me hell. I know how the last one works, but not this one.

If you want, leave a review!

* * *

 **Four: Dinah Lance**

Dick stared at the ceiling as Black Canary wrote down a few things on her clipboard. She'd started taking notes during sessions after Dick had _vehemently_ protested being filmed in this room. He didn't mind. She wrote in code. Bruce wouldn't ask about it or look at the notes. He respected Dick's privacy.

"You seem troubled," by Black Canary, setting down her clipboard. She folded her hands together and rested her elbows on her knees.

"Huh?" said Dick. He looked at Black Canary, blinking behind his sunglasses. "Oh, uh. Just thinking about what Bruce and I talked about last night." He'd learned, long ago, that Black Canary knew their identities, even if few others did.

"Oh?" said Black Canary. "Would you like to share?"

Dick thought about it. He hadn't shared that particular part of himself with Black Canary. But she was pretty accepting – after all, Dick was _pretty_ sure that _something_ had gone on between Bruce and Oliver before Oliver started dating Black Canary. But he'd never gotten a straight answer out of Bruce. And she seemed the type to be accepting.

"I, uh, I told him I was gay," said Dick, fidgeting with his hands.

Black Canary blinked. "Oh."

"You're not surprised," said Dick. It wasn't a question.

Black Canary winced. "I'm sorry. I made the assumption based on your current relationship."

"Relationship?" echoed Dick. "I'm not _in_ a relationship."

Black Canary blinked. "You're not?" There was a doubt in her eyes but not in her voice. Dick felt himself bristle.

"No, I'm _not_ ," he said, a little surprised at the sharpness in his voice. Then, "Who did you think…"

"Wally," said Black Canary, softly.

Dick stood up and walked toward the door.

"Dick," called Black Canary. "I'm sorry." He stopped, one hand on the door, well aware of the shaking in his shoulders.

"Look," he said in a low voice. "I get that _I'm_ transparent, I do. If Bruce can figure it out, I imagine most people know my feelings about Wally." He closed his eyes to try and squeeze back the tears that wanted to fall. "But can we _not_ mock Wally too?"

"Mock?" echoed Black Canary. "Why do you think we're mocking Wally? And you, for that matter." Ah, she'd picked up on that. Dick's lips twitched. A hidden tremble that concealed a scream he was terrified would break free.

"Mocking seems like the only option here," said Dick. He turned and leaned against the door, arms folded tightly across his chest to hide the trembling in his hands. "Wally's straight. Thinking he's not is just mocking how affectionate he is. He hugs everyone. He touches everyone. I'm not different. I'm not special. I'm his friend – his _best_ friend, but I'm not…" He shook his head, lips pressed together tightly. "He's not…"

"Have you ever asked?" said Black Canary, her voice gentle.

"I don't have to," said Dick. "You've seen the way he talks about M'gann, the way he looks at Artemis. He's a flirt. Girls are always on his mind.'

"You flirted with Zatanna, for a while," said Black Canary.

Dick gritted his teeth and crossed the room again, sitting on the arm of the couch. "Yeah, to feel normal," said Dick. "I figured maybe… if I tried _hard_ enough…" He didn't finish the sentence. The unsaid words hung between them.

"Oh, Dick," breathed Black Canary. And the pity in her voice had him on his feet again. He dragged them as he headed back toward the door. He couldn't do this. He didn't _want_ to do this.

"I need to get back to Gotham," mumbled Dick to the door.

"You don't have to –" started Black Canary.

Dick cut her off. "I need to get back to Gotham." He left the room and headed toward the Zeta-Beams, pretending he didn't notice the way his vision blurred with every step.


	5. Five: Uncle Barry & Zatanna

**Author's Note:** Yeah I know, I know. Late as all get out. I'm finishing this up this weekend though. Finally got enough motivation to do it. Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing - y'all are the reason I remembered to finish this!

* * *

 **Five: Barry Allen & Zatanna Zatara**

Wally stared out at the streets of Keystone City, tucked into his room at his Aunt and Uncle's house. A million thoughts raced through his head, dancing across his mind and leaving him blank eyed and exhausted from all the possibilities.

Those thoughts, as they often were these days, were directed to Dick. His friend, of course, not…

Well. Anyway.

Wally sighed and rested his head against the cool glass, closing his eyes against the onslaught of images and thoughts that spiralled through his brain like a sharp wind across the ocean's surface.

M'gann and Aunt Iris had both thought they were dating. Dick was acting weird lately. Did he know about those comments? Or maybe it was something else. Black Canary kept giving them both weird looks too.

But what was going on? And why did his stomach clench whenever he thought about it too long?

"Wally?" Wally turned to see Uncle Barry standing in the door frame, leaning against it with his arms folded loosely across his chest. He was frowning, a pinch in his brow that Wally only ever saw when things were going badly.

Uh-oh. What had he done this time?

"What's up?" asked Wally. He drew his knees close to himself and hugged them, still leaning against the window on the window seat and trying to make it look casual.

Uncle Barry crossed the room and sat down on the seat across from Wally. It was wide enough that their legs didn't touch, but Wally made himself a bit smaller anyway.

"Aunt Iris and I have been talking," said Uncle Barry slowly. Wally sighed. Were they going to send him back to his mom and dad? Well, it had been nice while it lasted. "About you and Dick."

Wally's head came up. His brow furrowed. "What? We're not… we're _friends_ , Uncle Barry."

Uncle Barry's eyes were soft as he spoke. "Friends don't look at each other the way you look at him."

Wally swallowed hard. "It's not what you think. I'm not. He's not. We're not…" He stumbled, trying to find the words as things started to slot together. _How could he be so blind?_

"Hey, hey," said Uncle Barry. "It's fine, Wally. Aunt Iris and I will support you no matter who you like." He reached out and touched Wally's knee. "I get that you're probably not used to that." Uncle Barry was right, he wasn't. "But I promise it's the truth."

There was a long moment of silence. Uncle Barry leaned back against the window sill, looking a little sheepish.

Then, "I mean, I'm bisexual," said Uncle Barry quietly.

Wally's head snapped up, he stared at Uncle Barry with wide eyes and a disbelieving smile. "You are?"

"Yeah, I uh, had a thing for Hal, when we first met," said Uncle Barry, clearing his throat. "Don't tell him, he'll hold it over me for the rest of my life." He rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks a bit pink.

"I won't," said Wally, eyes wide. "I promise."

A moment of silence. "So, Dick?" prompted Uncle Barry.

"Yeah," said Wally. And as he said it, he realized it was true. "Yeah, Dick. I dunno what I am. It's just him, so far. Other than girls."

Uncle Barry nodded. "It happens." He stood up and clapped Wally on the knee again. "No matter what you do, we're here for you, all right?"

"All right," said Wally, and he knew that was true too, as he said it.

* * *

Dick was staring at the ceiling of his room in the Cave when the knock came. He called a soft "come in" and the door slid open, revealing Zatanna. She smiled at Dick before padding into the room, the door sliding shut behind her.

Nudging his sunglasses a bit higher on his face, he sat up. "What's up?"

Zatanna pressed her lips together. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Okay," said Dick. "So, talk?"

She sighed and sat down on the bed, not quite looking at him. "You know I know you're gay, right?"

Dick cringed and looked away. "I figured," he admitted.

"And that you like Wally."

Dick drew his legs up and hugged them to his chest. "Hadn't gotten that far."

"Mm-hmm," said Zatanna. She sighed. "Robin, I know what it's like, you know. I went through the same thing with Raquel." Zatanna leaned against the wall Robin's bed was against and laughed, soft. "She didn't even know she _liked_ girls, before me."

"What changed?" asked Dick, uncurling to look at her.

Zatanna smiled. "I took a chance," said Zatanna. "And it worked out great."

Dick knew what she was getting at. "It won't work the same way for me," he said.

"How do you know?" asked Zatanna. "Robin, if you never take a chance-"

"Don't," said Dick, sharply. Zatanna jerked at the force of his words. "Wally and I have almost four years of friendship behind us. We're friends, Zatanna, as close as they can get." He glowered at her from behind his sunglasses. "With you and Raquel it was different. It was a couple months." She bristled visibly. "I'm not going to ruin four years of friendship because _you_ got lucky."

"You don't have to be such a dick about it," snapped Zatanna, standing up. Dick almost smiled. If only she knew. "Look," she said, at the door, sounding calmer. "Either tell him, or stop acting miserable. M'gann is sick of listening to you two pining in your heads."

Dick's head snapped up, eyebrows raising.

"Yeah, _two_ ," said Zatanna. She put one hand on her hip. "M'gann knows this stuff. She sent me." Zatanna sighed. "If you hadn't been such a jerk, I would have told you right away."

"Sorry," mumbled Dick.

She shrugged. "It's fine. I've got a date. Sort this out, Robin. We're all sick of watching it." And then she was gone, leaving Dick alone with his thoughts.


	6. Six: Dick Grayson & Wally West

**Author's Note:** And that's it folks, the end of Sneakers. Took a lot longer than I wanted, but it got done! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and left encouragement along the way. You guys are the reason I finished this fic. If you want, please leave a review letting me know how you liked the end of the fic! Cheers!

* * *

 **Six: Dick Grayson & Wally West**

 _Today's the day,_ thought Wally as he straightened his shirt for the third time. Today he was going to tell Dick how he felt. He'd spent weeks building up to this moment – gathering the courage, planning the day, ensuring that everyone else was out of the Cave without making it seem obvious, and now all his plans were finally coming to fruition.

And he even had the door coded to his bio-signature so that if it all went to hell, he could just sprint back to Keystone and pretend nothing ever happened.

Yup. Nothing to worry about. Not at _all._

Wally padded through the Cave as slowly as he could make himself, which was probably still a little faster than most people. He wasn't sure where Dick would be – whether that was in the kitchen, or the training room, or his bedroom.

He started with the bedroom, but there was no answer. The door was unlocked, but when Wally looked in, no one was there. He frowned and headed off again. Dick wasn't in the living room, or the kitchen, or the two training rooms, or the showers – thank god, that would have been awkward – or anywhere else that Wally could think of.

With a sigh, he headed for the door. Maybe, in his haste to ensure everyone _else_ would be gone today, he hadn't bothered to find out if _Dick_ would be here today.

It seemed likely. He was kind of scatter-brained like that.

He headed outside, walking across the grass with his hands stuffed in his pockets and his head hanging low. He'd tried, so very, very hard, to set this all up. But it had all backfired on him. Maybe Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris were wrong. Maybe it wasn't something he should do. Maybe he should just go back to being in denial until it all…

A small stone hit him in the side of the head. Wally rubbed at the spot and turned to follow its trajectory. There, sitting on an outcropping of rocks in the mountain face, maybe twenty feet up, was Dick.

Wally caught himself smiling. The tension slid out of his shoulders and every inch of him seemed to relax. Despite his fear over what he wanted to say, the sight of Dick made everything seem… inconsequential.

Yeah, Uncle Barry was right.

He had it _bad._

Wally zipped up the outcropping, using his speed to scale up to Dick in a matter of seconds before dropping down beside him. The climb had cut up his hands a bit, but already those marks were fading, leaving him to wipe off thin trails of blood onto his dark jeans. It didn't stain.

Probably for the best, Aunt Iris would have had his head.

"Where is everyone?" asked Dick.

Wally shrugged, perfectly casual. This part he'd rehearsed enough. "Zatanna and Raquel are on a date in Happy Harbour, M'gann and Conner went dirt bike riding with some of their friends from school, and Artemis is out doing… something with Kaldur and Roy." Wally shrugged. "I didn't ask."

"Huh," said Dick, after a moment. He leaned back on his hands, sunglasses perched perfectly on his face. Even with no one else around, he still wore them. It was a Bat rule, and while Wally understood it, he didn't like it.

He liked Dick's eyes. And he so rarely got to see them.

"So, what're you doing up here?" asked Wally, rubbing the back on his neck.

Dick shrugged and lifted one hand to gesture out at the ocean. It was a clear, bright day. The wind blew lightly at Wally's hair and shirt, the smell of salt drifting on the air, and the reflection of the light made it hard to stare straight on at the ocean.

"I like the view," said Dick. He stared out at the water and Wally stared at him.

"Yeah, same," said Wally. Dick looked at him, raising an eyebrow, and Wally looked away. His fingers inched toward one of Dick's hands – slow, hesitant. He wondered if this was worth it. If he could actually do it. If he was willing to put almost four years of friendship on the line for this.

"Can I ask you something?" asked Dick. He sat up straight and wrapped his arms around his raised knees. Loose, but still protective. Wally retracted his hand. He'd been _so close._

Wally nodded, leaning back and flashing a smile at Dick. "Sure," he said, simply.

Dick worried his lower lip. Even with the sunglasses, Wally could tell that Dick wasn't looking at him. Could tell Dick was, rather pointedly, _not_ looking at him.

"Dick?" asked Wally, after a minute of silence.

Dick shook his head. "It's nothing. Forget it."

"You sure?" Wally's voice was soft, a little hopeful.

Another bout of silence. Then, "It's just… Zatanna told me that M'gann told her something about you."

Wally blinked, trying to follow the train of thought. "Oh?"

"She said…" Dick was blushing. His cheeks red and his ears pinking. The flush crept across his neck. "She said that you… that you and I…" He shook his head, trailing off again. Tensed shoulders, bit lip, gaze away from Wally.

And Wally knew that look. Because it was one his window had reflected many a night in Keystone City.

He reached out and rested his hand atop one of Dick's, which were on top of his knees. "Maybe she's right," said Wally, softly.

Dick stared at him. Stared at their joined us. He swallowed. Pressed his lips tightly together. "You're sure?" he asked.

Wally nodded. "I'm tired of being in denial."

With his free hand, Dick reached up and slowly removed his sunglasses. His eyes, bright, blue, and shimmering with worry, stared at Wally.

"I'm tired of hating myself," said Dick. The words were soft, a confession. An edge of frustration lined them.

Wally reached up with his other hand and brushed Dick's bangs from his face. "You have no reason to hate yourself."

"I hide," said Dick, bitterly.

"I wouldn't make you," said Wally. "I'd shout it from the rooftops, if you'd let me."

Dick stared at him, hopeful. "Really?"

"Really," said Wally.

There was a few long seconds where neither one said or did anything. Where they simply stared at each other and wondered. Then, very softly, Wally said, "Can I…?" His gaze flicked to Dick's lips. Dick nodded.

"Please," he whispered.

Wally leaned in and Dick met him halfway. Their breath ghosting each other's lips and their bodies inching closer and closer. There was a brief moment of hesitation, and then their lips were meeting in their first kiss.

It was soft. It was warm. It was everything Wally had hoped for. And he held it as long as he dared before pulling back to rest his forehead on Dick's.

Dick stared at him. Wally grinned. Slowly, a smile spread across Dick's face.

"Wow," breathed Dick.

"Wow," agreed Wally. Both of them laughed, soft and sweet. "So, uh, you wanna do that again?"

"Yeah," said Dick, snaking a hand around the back of Wally's neck. "Yeah, I do. But, um, what are we, then?"

Wally gave it a moment's thought. "Boyfriends?" he asked.

With a widening smile, Dick nodded. "Boyfriends," he agreed, and he kissed Wally again.

When they pulled back, it was to Wally's growling stomach. "So, uh," said Wally, sheepish. "How about you and I go get lunch, boyfriend?"

"Sure," said Dick. Not bothering with his sunglasses as he stood up. "My treat." And he took Wally's hand as Wally stood. They didn't let go the entire way into Happy Harbour, Dick's sunglasses forgot on the outcropping alongside their doubts.


End file.
